Trouble seem to be mounting for Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
Trouble seem to be mounting for Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. It’s been almost a year but the CM is yet to get the green signal from the central leadership for the much-awaited expansion of the state Cabinet. If this is not enough, the Congress’ graph is on an upward swing after its performance in recent state byelections, including the Ratlam-Jhabua parliamentary seat as well as local body elections.
With organisational elections now on in BJP state units, speculation is rife on whether Mr Chouhan will be able to get a state unit chief of his choice. Currently, Khandwa MP Nandkumar Singh Chouhan heads the party’s state unit and is considered close to the chief minister.
The Vyapam scam is another issue over which Mr Shivraj Chouhan keeps facing Opposition heat. The Congress, the main Opposition in the state, has been seeking the CM’s resignation over his alleged involvement in the scam.
Though Mr Chouhan met the central leadership a number of times over the Cabinet expansion issue, speculation is rife that the BJP top brass is not too happy with the names suggested by the state. With dissidence growing in the state unit, the central leadership, it is learnt, is in no mood to clear names that are considered close to a section of leaders. Also, some names suggested are also said to be controversial and the top brass is itself vetting the names.
In the midst of all this, a majority within the MP state unit wants former minister Laxmikant Sharma, an accused in the Vyapam scam, to be taken back. Out on bail, Mr Sharma, who is considered close to the RSS, had spent 18 months in jail and was expelled from the BJP last year. The RSS is also apparently not happy with the state government after some of its senior leaders’ names had cropped up in the scam.
